Ultraviolet waves may be used as a cost-effective test for cancer.
In a study published online in the US Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, researchers have been investigating the effect of ultraviolet light on the DNA of cancer patients in a technique called the Lymphocyte Genome Sensitivity (LGS) test.
The LGS test would allow doctors to rule out cancer without using costly and possibly unnecessary invasive procedures such as biopsies.
The study, led by Diana Anderson at the University of Bradford, UK, found that the white blood cells of cancer patients are more damaged when exposed to ultraviolet light than in healthy patients. They also found that patients who were in the pre-cancerous phase showed a level of damage in between.
"White blood cells are part of the body's natural defence system," Anderson said.
She said the logic behind the study was that white blood cells fighting cancer were already under stress, so exposing them to more stress through ultraviolet light may show a measureable difference at the white blood cell level.
"We found that people with cancer have DNA which is more easily damaged by ultraviolet light than other people, so the test shows the sensitivity to damage of all the DNA - the genome - in a cell," she said.
So far, researchers have used this technique to screen for three types of cancers, but the research is still in its early stages. After more studies though, it may prove to be a cost effective technique that can be performed as part of a routine exam.
The study looked at blood from 208 individuals, 94 healthy.
According to the press release, "The UVA damage was observed in the form of pieces of DNA being pulled in an electric field towards the positive end of the field, causing a comet-like tail. In the LGS test, the longer the tail the more DNA damage, and the measurements correlated to those patients who were ultimately diagnosed with cancer (58), those with pre-cancerous conditions (56) and those who were healthy (94)."
The technique is currently undergoing a clinical trial at Bradford Royal Infirmary, and the University of Bradford has filed patients for the technology.
